Runaway Lover // Andy Leo

Chapter Thirteen

Andy's P.O.V

I slouch against the far wall of my cell and crumple to the floor, placing my head in my hands. Being back in the Empire's hands is not easy to say the least, but at least before it was only my own screams that echoed through the halls - not the screams of six of my best friends. Day after day, hour after hour, minute after minute I can hear them. Sometimes I can't even tell who it is.

I hear a clash and I look up to see Brandon rattling the bars of his cage. He presses his face up against them, desperately trying to see down the corridor to where Megan, Dave, Benn and Brent are all in their individual cages like us.

"Megan!" He screams out her name. I hear whimpers to my right and presume that they must've decided that they're finished with her for now. The past hour has been filled with her screaming, and it's been driving Brandon out of his mind. He can't decide whether he should cry or bring the entire place to the floor, but has attempted both. 

I hear the sound of Megan being thrown back into her cage and the door slamming, followed by the footsteps of the two guards leading down towards Brandon and I.

"You bastards!" Brandon tries to throw a punch at the closest one to him through the bars and fails miserably due to the handcuffs around his wrists. One of them turns to him, and for a second I'm convinced that Brandon's going to end up with a broken nose, but the scarecrow just laughs at him.

"The Raven doesn't want you today, big man." He laughs at Brandon, who growls back something along the lines of shoving his head where the sun doesn't shine, before turning towards my cage that the other scarecrow had now begun to open. "He's more interested in the Alpha-Male."

I get to my feet and walk toward them, knowing from experience that it's easier to just go with them than let them come into your cage where there's enough room for a full-out brawl to start - which is difficult to win wearing handcuffs. One of them takes hold of my right arm and presses his gun into my back as he leads me up the corridor. I check on everyone as I pass; Dave looks up from his place on the floor of his cell, giving me a nod. Benn wipes the blood from his lip on his white jumpsuit - I presume he was punched in the face by one of the violence happy scarecrows. Hayden and Brent both look better than the rest of us, with minimal scratches on their faces and the least holes in their jumpsuits. Megan is in the worst shape out of all of us. She still hasn't got up from where I presume the scarecrows left her - curled up into a ball in the middle of the floor of her cage. If I'm being brutally honest I'm not that surprised that she's been beaten up the most; Megan doesn't tend to have a filter on what she says on the best of days, never mind when she's got a Raven in front of her.

The scarecrows take me into a room that I haven't seen since I got away from the Empire four years ago. It's predominantly black, with a lonely table and chair in the middle of it. The Raven stands lurking in the corner of the room. I'm guided to the chair by the scarecrow, who promptly leaves after dropping me off.

"It's been a while, my friend." The Raven moves from his corner to stand opposite me. "I almost thought I wouldn't see you again." He laughs manically. "But it's a good thing you're back! I was beginning to miss my favourite play-toy."

"Fuck off." I glare up at him.

"Well that's not very polite." He leans forward onto the table. "How about, because you're my favourite toy, you give me a little information?" He grins evilly down at me. I stay silent. "It's come to the Empire's attention that you've somehow ended up with someone that we presumed was dead. How exactly did you manage to do that?"

"I don't know who you're talking about." I lock my eyes with his, trying to hide the recognition that sparks through me at his words. My heart aches at the thought of Sam - my whole body does.

"I think you do. I think you know her quite well. I believe her name was - Samantha?" I move my gaze to my hands. A lump builds in my throat at her name. It's been three days since I last saw her - since I told her to run away. I don't even know if she got away. It kills me not knowing.

"I told you. I don't know who you're talking about." I look up just in time to see the Raven bring his hand back, make a fist and swing at my face. I take the hit, feeling the pain spread out from my jaw. I bring both my hands up to my face and wipe away the blood.

"How did you remove her chip?" He shouts in my face, sending saliva flying.

"I'm not telling you anything. So you can fuck off!"

A